Yesterday I was playing with what was probably the nicest pickup group ever. We were doing the daily heroic, Underbog, and everything went just very smooth. The tank and druid were extremely well geared, and while my mage and the other two players weren't quite as well geared, we all knew how to play well. And suddenly we had a surprise drop from a random mob: A Blade of Wizardry, a bind on equip epic sword. I hesitated, then asked the group whether I could roll need on that, it being much better than my currently equipped sword. And not only did they say "sure", they *all* passed and let me have it. And that although they could have rolled need as well, and sold the thing on the auction house for around 1,000 gold. I immediately equipped it, to show that I wasn't planning to sell it, and it is looking great, like a lightsaber. Was too busy to really check the proc rate, but I was very happy.

I've been given plenty of reasons to be cynical...people taking loot that doesn't fit their class, bossing everyone around, and spouting profanity.

Every once in a while you come across a good pickup group -- typically people who have end game gear, know the fights, and just blitz everything in short order.

I don't even mind people who don't know how to play their class well, or are undergeared. After all, leveling up doesn't teach you about threat and where to stand. It's nice when people are open to kind suggestions about how to improve, and of course it's the only way many people learn. Not to mention it makes it easier on whoever they group with after you.

Unfortunately, I seem to more commonly run into mages who want to AE on every pull since that's supposedly what they did last time they ran this instance, and the tank could still hold aggro somehow. Either that, or a rogue who wants the damage meter spammed to party chat after every pull. It's those kind of players that make me retreat to playing with mostly just friends.

I'm glad to hear a positive note on pickup groups. Hopefully, we'll see more of this as the game begins to revolve around smaller and smaller raids with less of a focus on classes and more of a focus on players.

I'm of the exact opposite opinion zode. Regardless of BoE status, need is much, much better than greed. In general, if they want an item like that they don't raid so it may be the best weapon they ever get. And beyond that, EVERYONE can make gold other ways, whereas that one person cannot get a rare BoE in the same manner.

I don't care if it is guild, friends, or a PuG, if someone needs a drop, let them have it.

Since WoW is still only a game for most of us, I find this kind of thing happens quite often. People are usually less worried about 1,000 virtual gold, and happier to see someone else enjoy a special item for hir or her toon. Kudos to your PuG.

Nearly every PUG in EQ2 is like that. I don't know about wow... I haven't ever gotten past level 14 in that game. It just hasn't ever "done it" for me. Don't know why either... everything looks like it should be there, but it just doesn't.

Thats exactly the behavior I expect from all my groups. And as we are tank and healer and usually only the DDs are random, we tend to enforce this standard onto them. If they don't know how to play we might choose someone else next time, but if they don't behave in a nice and social way, they are kicked out faster than they can say "replacement".In the end we tend to get ignored by people we don't like and get on a bunch of friendslists from socially acceptable people, which is just the way we like it.

I've found a lot of good PUGs. It's my experience that whilst people talk about all PUGs being useless, that's just a biased selection sample based on the fact that a useless PUG is really, really annoying.

Yesterday, for example, I found a lovely, very competent SFK run, with three other people who all knew their classes, were fun to hang around, and were really nice about loot.

Sometimes you get one idiot, but my experience is that great PUGs are much more common than people think.

I can't say I've ever had the same experience. Only once have I ever seen an epic drop in a 5-man pug. It was a flamming skull shield and our group was nice like Tobold's group, and all rolled greed so the warrior could roll need and get the shield. The warrior, unlike Tobold grabbed his new shield, hearthed. I saw him selling it later on the AH. Players like this are the reason all players should roll need on BOE epic.

With that said, in today's WoW I wouldn't really care about a BOE epic. Epic's are a dime a dozen in the BC. Vanilla WoW not so much.

On almost a side note: I have no clue who pays so much for the BOE epics on the AH. Blade of Wizzadary I've seen on my server for 1200 gold. No bids. Who in there right mind would buy this for SO much considering how easy it is to get a much better epic from BG's or Badges?

I have, however, passed a BoE epic to an e-pal once. He was a cool guy that I grouped with a lot pre-TBC. He really really wanted the Cloudkeeper Legplates when they dropped, and despite the fact that the only way to make gold at the time was to grind grind grind Tyr's Hand, I let him have them.

I like how people throw around that it's easy to earn 1k gold. I hate dailies. I hate farming. I'd much rather sell an epic than spend 6-8 hours doing something I hate. Hell that's a whole workday.

If it's so easy to earn 1k gold how about the guy asking for the BoE farm his own gold and buy it himself? This isn't classic - epics are almost always on the AH.

I do not doubt that you played with nice players. Sometimes there are positive surprises, after all! :)

But for not rolling on that blade: Not a big deal. Many people already have ZA, BT, T5 or badges gear that can rival this one. Or are actually much much better. Yes, I know how amazing haste procs are, but it s not that great that people would have to roll on it.

I guess you already used it, but I would gladly sell it for 1000 gold - but I doubt I would find a buyer.

I sometimes get the impression they pay thrice the money for not really that useful items on US servers compared to EU servers.

Please take my negative comment lightly, I do not want to be the party pooper, I just want to put their kindness in regards of letting you have this weapon in a proper perspective.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I add people like that to my friends list right away.

The argument that "anyone can make gold" applies both ways. If it's easy for the buyer it's just as easy for the seller. People need gold, but no one "needs" to make gold a certain way.

I noticed also different servers have different accepted rules for boe epics. Some have the need if you're going to equip it, some have the everyone need. Generally I watch the roll and if I see a bunch rolling need I will, otherwise not.

I tend to avoid grouping like the plague but last weekend I decided to give it a try. I was in 4 different PUG's in the space of 4hrs. I got a ton of dungeon quests done and had a great time. No problems whatsoever. There were a couple of wipes and everybody was apologetic and no drama.

I had these kinds of pickupgroups a thousand times. On my german role-playing-pve server it happens, that a pickup group is bad. But the majority is nice. Perhaps because the server is small if you play there fore 3 years or more you just know each other.

For the group being good and you did a heroic smoothly .. It is the year 2008. November.

I cannot remember when I last did not make a heroic or something like that - and I like pickups.Then again I'm usually the tank.

Well good for you Tob! Although peronally I dont like taking noobs round instances: I like to run with people of approx the same gear level, so situations like this never come up. I dont enjoy spending my time gearing up other players I dont know, who'll need on everything. All I'm left with is a repair bill & not even any shards. Unless, of course, we're friends and we do it for each other all the time. Thats entirely different.

I have met and participated in several. I myself have passed on some 'hot' items so people who could use them (And did) got them.

Case in point... I've seen and participated in 2 different groups where the BoE epic healer hammer dropped. In both cases it went to the healer for both of whom it was a major upgrade. And not late in this expansion either, but early on when Karazhan was hot ____ for anyone not pushing bleeding edge